Shah Rukh Khan Premieres New Film, “My Name Is Khan”

Shah Rukh Khan, the biggest star that most Americans have never heard of, is premiering his new movie “My Name Is Khan” in the oil rich capital of Abu Dhabi tonight.

Khan, the hottest film and commercial figure in India, is moving outside his usual love story-and-dance formula to tackle the politically sensitive topic of anti-Muslim discrimination. His producers, Imagenation Abu Dhabi and Fox Star Studios, an Indian joint venture between 20th Century Fox and Star broadcasting, is betting the film further opens America and the world to the magic of Bollywood.

Khan, himself a Muslim in a majority Hindu nation, plays an Indian Muslim with Asperger’s Syndrome. He travels across the United States in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, searching for his long-lost love. On his road journey, he discovers rage, intolerance and discrimination, not because of the color of his skin, but because of his religion.

The film reunites the box-office winning team of Kajol Devgan and Shah Rukh Khan, India’s two biggest actors, and director Karan Johar, who is often described as the man whose movies makes Indians fall in love.

Johar says his latest film stretched his story-making powers, as the movie goes beyond the usual Bollywood formula to focus on the wave of anti-Muslim discrimination that has swept the West and his own country over the last decade. “I tried to convey all of the various opinions, facts and propaganda that comes with the global issue of discrimination and intolerance towards a race of people completely unassociated by the evils of terrorism,” Johar said ahead of the film’s premiere.

It’s a message that resonates deeply in Abu Dhabi and elsewhere in the Arab world, where many have felt the blowback against their religion in the wake of Al Qaeda attacks across the globe.

The serious mien of the film didn’t diminish the glitz of the red carpet outside the hall before the film’s premiere. Sashaying in designer gowns, the A-list stars of the film poised for hundreds of paparazzi and screaming fans. Indian television journalists jostled against an anxious crowd to broadcast the first sighting of Khan from inside the gilded atrium of the palace.

For the primarily Indian crowd who turned out in gold-threaded saris and cocktail dresses to the gilded hall, the biggest news of the evening was the return to the big screen of India’s golden film couple. Khan and Kajol last starred together eight years ago in “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham,” and have appeared together in a total of six films including “My Name Is Khan.”

For the local Emiratis, though, the event marked another step in Abu Dhabi’s quest to climb up the ranks of movie heavyweights. Last year, the capital of the United Arab Emirates launched the $1 billion movie production company Imagenation Abu Dhabi. With its deep pockets, Imagenation has moved aggressively into movie financing, filling a gnawing hole that appeared in the wake of the global financial crisis.

Last fall, hundreds of executives from both American and European studios gathered in Abu Dhabi to network during the city-state’s third-annual film festival. “My Name is Khan” is the vehicle through which executives here hope to make Abu Dhabi a household name in America and India, the world’s two largest movie-going nations.

Imagenation co-produced “My Name Is Khan” along with Fox Star Studios, a joint venture between 20th Century Fox and Star, both of which are owned by News Corp., the parent company of The Wall Street Journal.

Fox Star Studios will market and distribute in India, while Fox Searchlight will market and distribute the film in the United States and 20th Century Fox International will distribute across the rest of the world.

The film will be opening globally this weekend, and producers say they are hoping for strong showing due to Valentine’s Day celebrations.